Modelling of short-term variations of currents, temperature, salinity and sea level in the Strait of Dardanelles

Abstract

The Strait of Dardanelles is a long and shallow strongly stratified strait connecting the Aegean and Marmara Seas and characterized by a complicated time-varying oceanographic regime. Despite that hydrodynamic conditions are critical for navigation and hydraulic structures in the Strait, only a few observation and simulation studies were carried out. For this high-resolution study, the model SCHISM based on unstructured grids and a vertical coordinate system LSC2 was used. The numerical experiments were focused on the period September 2008–January 2009 when measurement data were available. The simulation agrees with observed profiles of velocity and discharges in upper and lower layers. Simulated and observed features include flow reversals in the Strait during strong storm events (November 2008) and high-frequency variability of currents and elevation in the Strait and the Marmara Sea. Simulations have shown the persistent hydraulic jump, mixing, and complex flow structure in the narrowest and bending Strait part. The results of simulation for locations of two pylons (“European” and “Anatolian”) of the bridge “1915 Çanakkale” showed strong temporal variability of currents on a daily scale caused by fluctuations of sea level in connecting basins, flow from the Bosphorus Strait, direct wind forcing, and tidal forcing. • High-resolution modeling study of short-term variations of the Strait of Dardanelles was carried out. • Simulated features include detailed study of flow reversals in the Strait during strong storm events (21–23 November 2008). • It was found strong temporal variability of currents on a daily scale in locations of two pylons of bridge “1915 Çanakkale”.